The learning goals of this assessment were to: ·Describe what life would be like if all items (living, non-living) on Earth were identified by the same name ·Explain how different names help to identify an item using common terminology (i.e. super market food labels, species common name= humans vs. Homo sapiens) ·Address Life science GSE regarding an understanding of the purpose of classification systems
B. Formal Assessment
Classification Quiz:
The learning goals of this assessment were: ·Explain why the classification system we have in place for grouping living organisms is so important ·Demonstrate proper use of a dichotomous key ·Interpret relatedness of organisms based on taxonomy ·Recall the methods scientists use for classifying organisms ·Address all Life science GSEs regarding an understanding of classification of organisms
III. Assessments
A. Description of Informal Assessment
"What About Bob?" homework slip
For this assessment, each student was given a half sheet of paper to be completed as homework with three questions that could be answered based on students' personal opinions, prior knowledge and what they had learned the last few days about classification. Students were assessed on their accurateness and completion of each question. The feedback that was given was written in green pen directly on the assignment and handed back to the student. As a whole class, we also discussed what the best answers would have been and why they were the best answers.
This assessment required students to explain what life would be like if we lived in a world where everything was called by the same name or had the same label (aka "Planet BOB"). The questions ask students to explain why the naming and sorting system on earth works better than planet BOB, and what the importance is of having a common language or plan for identifying similar and different items (living organisms, grocery store items, etc.)
The GSE that this assessment addresses is: ·LS3 (5-6) -8 oStudents demonstrate an understanding of the classification of organisms by… §8a stating the value of, or reasons for, classification systems.
Classification Quiz
The system that Gaudet Middle School uses to assess the students is entirely based on a 5 point system with 5 being well above the standard, 3 meets the standard, and a 1 is below the standard. Because of this a number or letter grade based on a point value for each problem was not applicable, and each quiz was given a grade within the 5 point system based on the quality of answers from every student's quiz. Any feedback was written directly on the quiz next to the corresponding question, and if any explanation was too lengthy I wrote "see me" at the top of the first page of the quiz and spoke with the student about questions or feedback I had for them.
When the students received their corrected quiz they had the opportunity to improve their grade my completing an error notebook. An error notebook is a sheet of paper where the students write down problems they had wrong, why they had it wrong, and how they can correct it. They were allowed to start the error notebook immediately and many finished it as homework.
Total of seven (7) questions: oChecklist questions (2) oChoose the best answer (1) oShort answer/critical thinking (1) oMatching (1) oUsing a key (1) oEssay/ critical thinking (1)
This assessment tested the students on information they had been learning about taxonomy and how all living organisms are divided into groups based on taxonomy. Over about a two-week time frame the students used and created their own tree diagrams, dichotomous keys, and practiced classifying different organisms based on the Linnaean system of taxonomy. They also analyzed some short video clips and interactive web games so they could see how closely related so many organisms are based on their internal and external structures.
The Classification quiz was aimed at testing the skills and knowledge the students had gained over the last couple weeks with a base in the GSEs for life sciences.
The GSEs that were addressed by the quiz are: ·LS3 (5-6) Students demonstrate an understanding of classification of organisms by... §8a stating the value of, or reason for, classification systems. §8b following a taxonomic key to identify a given organism (e.g. flowering and non-flowering plants). ·LS3 (7-8) §8a sorting animals with similar characteristics into groups based on internal and external structures. §8b explaining how species with similar evolutionary histories/characteristics are classified more closely together with some organisms than others (e.g., a fish and human have more in common with each other than a fish and jelly fish). §8c recognizing the classification system used in modern biology.
During both the informal and formal assessments the class had been learning about the ways that living organisms are classified, and how they can do their own sorting of animals to understand the process that scientists go through when figuring out where to fit a new species or how closely related one species is to another. Much of the class time was devoted to "wacky people" and "creepy critters" which were two different sets of imaginary organisms that could be sorted and grouped based on their similar and different physical features. When the students had made lists of how they would group the organisms they made a tree diagram and a dichotomous key of how to identify each organism. The "wacky people" were already given names, but the "creepy critters" were not so each student was able to choose a critter and give it a scientific name, which was a term we discussed as being very important to accurately describe an organism.
The students also had a free response question titled, "Bob's grocery store," based on an image they were shown of a grocery store aisle where all the food packages were labeled "BOB". In a free response the students are asked to write any question, comments, or connections to prior knowledge based on a prompt such as an image. After they did this, they shared their thoughts with a neighbor then we discussed the ideas with the entire class.
Overall, the class had a balance of group activities, individual reflection, and class discussions based in scientific classification. The informal assessment was given at the end of class after the free response to Bob's grocery store and sorting activities where the students sorted themselves based on different criteria in the same fashion that a dichotomous key is made. The formal assessment was given after two weeks of discussion of classification systems of living organisms.
B. Analysis of Informal Assessment
The informal assessment was given as homework so the students had to work on their own or use sources other than the school teacher to come up with an answer. When the homework was collected many students wrote directly on the half sheet and answered the question in one sentence. Some of the students asked what was meant by "common language" and "grocery store labels" so they left that question unanswered. Overall, about 75% of the students handed in the assignment, but only about 15% of those students completed the assignment correctly.
For the formal assessment students were allowed almost a full class period to complete and most were successful at this. The most common questions were on question number seven regarding how to incorporate the "CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTIONS" and number two because students weren't sure if they could check more than one answer. Overall, students did very well on this assessment.
The samples of student work are an accurate representation of how Gaudet Middle School formally assesses their students
The informal assessment, "What about BOB?” was designed to see if students understood the reasons for a system of classifying and sorting items and living organisms. The ideal response would have been that classification is important so people can communicate with each other what they are seeing and identify organisms in relation to other organisms (what they are similar to, what they are not...). The first problem was that many students did not read the directions to write their responses on a separate sheet of paper, and they wrote right in the small spaces between the questions. Had the directions been on top of the slip more students may have followed them and had a more thorough response because they had more room to write. Another problem was the last question because some students were confused about whether they needed to give examples based on what was in the parentheses or what was meant by the words "value". If the question had been reworded to specifically ask “why is the classification system so important?" there may have been better responses to that question.
Overall, the responses were pretty vague so next class we discussed why classification is important so the students had better knowledge when the same question was asked on the quiz.
B. Reflections from Formal Assessment
The formal assessment, "Classification quiz", was designed to collectively gather student knowledge based on what they had been learning the last two weeks in science class. It asked how scientists identify organisms, how they group them, how to tell how closely related organisms are, and why universal system for grouping and organizing these living things is so important. The different versions of the quiz were also helpful because two classes received the quiz on one day, while the other two classes received it on a different day and I think it minimized cheating.
Overall, students showed they understood the importance of taxonomy and classification, as well as how to use the tools that scientists do when identifying an organism (dichotomous key, genus and species name, etc...).
VI. Conclusions
Both these assessments went well. With the informal assessment I learned that the students did not fully understand the importance of classification and because of that I was able to take more time to go over it and be sure they had a better understanding of what they should be learning. In that way, I think the informal assessment served a great purpose because it told me I had to do a better job of explaining ideas to the students before I could really (formally) assess their knowledge. For the formal assessment, I could have made it more difficult seeing that the majority of students did very well, but I based the questions in the GSEs so I think it shows that they have mastered what they need to know in order to be prepared for the next level of science
Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Beth Copeley
I. Assignment Description/Requirements
Formal Informal Assessments 2009
II. Description of Learning Goals
A. Informal Assessment
"What About BOB?" homework assignment:The learning goals of this assessment were to:
· Describe what life would be like if all items (living, non-living) on Earth were identified by the same name
· Explain how different names help to identify an item using common terminology (i.e. super market food labels, species common name= humans vs. Homo sapiens)
· Address Life science GSE regarding an understanding of the purpose of classification systems
B. Formal Assessment
Classification Quiz:The learning goals of this assessment were:
· Explain why the classification system we have in place for grouping living organisms is so important
· Demonstrate proper use of a dichotomous key
· Interpret relatedness of organisms based on taxonomy
· Recall the methods scientists use for classifying organisms
· Address all Life science GSEs regarding an understanding of classification of organisms
III. Assessments
A. Description of Informal Assessment
"What About Bob?" homework slipFor this assessment, each student was given a half sheet of paper to be completed as homework with three questions that could be answered based on students' personal opinions, prior knowledge and what they had learned the last few days about classification. Students were assessed on their accurateness and completion of each question. The feedback that was given was written in green pen directly on the assignment and handed back to the student. As a whole class, we also discussed what the best answers would have been and why they were the best answers.
This assessment required students to explain what life would be like if we lived in a world where everything was called by the same name or had the same label (aka "Planet BOB"). The questions ask students to explain why the naming and sorting system on earth works better than planet BOB, and what the importance is of having a common language or plan for identifying similar and different items (living organisms, grocery store items, etc.)
The GSE that this assessment addresses is:
· LS3 (5-6) -8
o Students demonstrate an understanding of the classification of organisms by…
§ 8a stating the value of, or reasons for, classification systems.
B. Description of Formal Assessment
Classification QuizThe system that Gaudet Middle School uses to assess the students is entirely based on a 5 point system with 5 being well above the standard, 3 meets the standard, and a 1 is below the standard. Because of this a number or letter grade based on a point value for each problem was not applicable, and each quiz was given a grade within the 5 point system based on the quality of answers from every student's quiz. Any feedback was written directly on the quiz next to the corresponding question, and if any explanation was too lengthy I wrote "see me" at the top of the first page of the quiz and spoke with the student about questions or feedback I had for them.
When the students received their corrected quiz they had the opportunity to improve their grade my completing an error notebook. An error notebook is a sheet of paper where the students write down problems they had wrong, why they had it wrong, and how they can correct it. They were allowed to start the error notebook immediately and many finished it as homework.
Total of seven (7) questions:
o Checklist questions (2)
o Choose the best answer (1)
o Short answer/critical thinking (1)
o Matching (1)
o Using a key (1)
o Essay/ critical thinking (1)
This assessment tested the students on information they had been learning about taxonomy and how all living organisms are divided into groups based on taxonomy. Over about a two-week time frame the students used and created their own tree diagrams, dichotomous keys, and practiced classifying different organisms based on the Linnaean system of taxonomy. They also analyzed some short video clips and interactive web games so they could see how closely related so many organisms are based on their internal and external structures.
The Classification quiz was aimed at testing the skills and knowledge the students had gained over the last couple weeks with a base in the GSEs for life sciences.
The GSEs that were addressed by the quiz are:
· LS3 (5-6)
Students demonstrate an understanding of classification of organisms by...
§ 8a stating the value of, or reason for, classification systems.
§ 8b following a taxonomic key to identify a given organism (e.g. flowering and non-flowering plants).
· LS3 (7-8)
§ 8a sorting animals with similar characteristics into groups based on internal and external structures.
§ 8b explaining how species with similar evolutionary histories/characteristics are classified more closely together with some organisms than others (e.g., a fish and human have more in common with each other than a fish and jelly fish).
§ 8c recognizing the classification system used in modern biology.
IV. Analysis
A. Description of Class ContextDuring both the informal and formal assessments the class had been learning about the ways that living organisms are classified, and how they can do their own sorting of animals to understand the process that scientists go through when figuring out where to fit a new species or how closely related one species is to another. Much of the class time was devoted to "wacky people" and "creepy critters" which were two different sets of imaginary organisms that could be sorted and grouped based on their similar and different physical features. When the students had made lists of how they would group the organisms they made a tree diagram and a dichotomous key of how to identify each organism. The "wacky people" were already given names, but the "creepy critters" were not so each student was able to choose a critter and give it a scientific name, which was a term we discussed as being very important to accurately describe an organism.
The students also had a free response question titled, "Bob's grocery store," based on an image they were shown of a grocery store aisle where all the food packages were labeled "BOB". In a free response the students are asked to write any question, comments, or connections to prior knowledge based on a prompt such as an image. After they did this, they shared their thoughts with a neighbor then we discussed the ideas with the entire class.
Overall, the class had a balance of group activities, individual reflection, and class discussions based in scientific classification. The informal assessment was given at the end of class after the free response to Bob's grocery store and sorting activities where the students sorted themselves based on different criteria in the same fashion that a dichotomous key is made. The formal assessment was given after two weeks of discussion of classification systems of living organisms.
B. Analysis of Informal Assessment
The informal assessment was given as homework so the students had to work on their own or use sources other than the school teacher to come up with an answer. When the homework was collected many students wrote directly on the half sheet and answered the question in one sentence. Some of the students asked what was meant by "common language" and "grocery store labels" so they left that question unanswered. Overall, about 75% of the students handed in the assignment, but only about 15% of those students completed the assignment correctly.
Samples of Student Work
C. Analysis of Formal Assessment
For the formal assessment students were allowed almost a full class period to complete and most were successful at this. The most common questions were on question number seven regarding how to incorporate the "CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTIONS" and number two because students weren't sure if they could check more than one answer. Overall, students did very well on this assessment.
The samples of student work are an accurate representation of how Gaudet Middle School formally assesses their students
Samples of Student Work
V. Commentary / Reflection
A. Reflections from Informal Assessment
The informal assessment, "What about BOB?” was designed to see if students understood the reasons for a system of classifying and sorting items and living organisms. The ideal response would have been that classification is important so people can communicate with each other what they are seeing and identify organisms in relation to other organisms (what they are similar to, what they are not...). The first problem was that many students did not read the directions to write their responses on a separate sheet of paper, and they wrote right in the small spaces between the questions. Had the directions been on top of the slip more students may have followed them and had a more thorough response because they had more room to write. Another problem was the last question because some students were confused about whether they needed to give examples based on what was in the parentheses or what was meant by the words "value". If the question had been reworded to specifically ask “why is the classification system so important?" there may have been better responses to that question.
Overall, the responses were pretty vague so next class we discussed why classification is important so the students had better knowledge when the same question was asked on the quiz.
B. Reflections from Formal Assessment
The formal assessment, "Classification quiz", was designed to collectively gather student knowledge based on what they had been learning the last two weeks in science class. It asked how scientists identify organisms, how they group them, how to tell how closely related organisms are, and why universal system for grouping and organizing these living things is so important. The different versions of the quiz were also helpful because two classes received the quiz on one day, while the other two classes received it on a different day and I think it minimized cheating.
Overall, students showed they understood the importance of taxonomy and classification, as well as how to use the tools that scientists do when identifying an organism (dichotomous key, genus and species name, etc...).
VI. Conclusions
Both these assessments went well. With the informal assessment I learned that the students did not fully understand the importance of classification and because of that I was able to take more time to go over it and be sure they had a better understanding of what they should be learning. In that way, I think the informal assessment served a great purpose because it told me I had to do a better job of explaining ideas to the students before I could really (formally) assess their knowledge. For the formal assessment, I could have made it more difficult seeing that the majority of students did very well, but I based the questions in the GSEs so I think it shows that they have mastered what they need to know in order to be prepared for the next level of science